Frequently asked Questions about Youth Hockey

Ice Land offers programs designed for players at all points along the hockey spectrum, from the first moment a child steps onto the ice to the serious player who aspires to reach the highest levels of excellence of hockey. Players can move through our programs as they improve in skill and interest in the game of hockey.

 Learn to Play Hockey:

This is where it all begins, a child enrolls in this program after learning to skate in our Learn to Skate Program. Once their basic skating skills have been established, we place them in one of three levels that make up our Learn to Play Hockey Program. As they learn hockey basics they move up the levels, adding skills at each level. Once they have progressed to and succeeded in the top level, they should move into our Skills Development Program.

 Skills Development Program:

This program takes our graduates from our Learn to Play Hockey program, and develops their skills to prepare them for our In-house Hockey Leagues. It normally is offered during the summer, to be able to prepare for our In-House Winter Youth League.

 In-House Leagues:

The house leagues are recreational programs running year round. We offer these leagues both winter and summer. Our house leagues are relaxed and fun for those who are just joining the hockey world or for those who want an easygoing atmosphere. The instruction is provided by our resident pro's; individuals who have extensive hockey experience and desire to impart this knowledge to others. In addition, we supplement these instructors with the involvement of parents, allowing a supportive environment for the younger participants.

Adding my child's name to their In-House League Jersey:

We ask all parents to wait to place their child's name on the back of their in-house league jersey until the season is well underway. This is due to the possibility that a child may be traded to another team to balance out the league. By waiting it avoids the trouble of what to do about the jersey because of the trade. We appreciate everyone's understanding of this issue.

Travel Teams:

Our travel team program is called the Mercer Chiefs and is designed for the player who wants increased exposure to the game of hockey and is willing to commit an increased amount of time to his/her development. As the name implies, travel hockey involves a considerable amount of travel, less so at the youngest levels and increasing with age. Travel hockey usually involves more practices and games than House League play. The Chiefs season begins with tryouts in April, modest amount of practices during the summer months and then League play beginning around September thru March. We suggest that you visit our Mercer Chief Web Page for more in-depth information about the Chiefs.

Can my child play other sports?

Yes. Many hockey players are natural athletes and enjoy other sports. At the younger levels of  hockey, it is more prevalent, but as the player gets older they tend to migrate to one sport they like the most. If a child wants to continue playing many other seasonal sports, our house league hockey may suit their needs best. 

When is it the right time to move my child from House League to Travel?

Travel hockey is available to children at the Level called "Mite" which can include any child under the age of 8. Generally, Mite teams consist of children from the age of 6 to 8 years old. There are many considerations involved when deciding to have children this young moving into travel hockey. They include, is my child ready for a greater commitment of time to this one sport. Is my family ready to support the increased time and money to travel hockey. Is my child ready for the increased pressure of this level of competition. 

Why is it necessary to travel to games?

Almost every community in the tri-state area has travel hockey teams, with their skill level varying widely. We believe that players will learn better, and enjoy the game more, if they play other teams of equivalent caliber. We enter our teams in travel leagues that group teams of equivalent ability for balanced competition. As a result, the players are competing against their peers within the tri-state area.

Why do you have tryouts for travel teams?

Players interests and skills change very rapidly at every level and age. Because hockey is a team sport, where every player's ability to achieve depends on the other team members, players develop best when they are playing with players of equivalent ability and commitment. Since all players develop differently we go through the tryout process each year. 

 I want my child to play with his/her friends?

If your child is participating in our house leagues it is often possible for them to play with their friends, so long as they are in the correct age groups. When moving into travel hockey programs this practice becomes problematic. At the travel level our goal is to develop hockey players. Our belief is that this is best done by playing with other players of equivalent ability. In addition, our experience is that keeping groups of players together due to relationships over time, is an exclusive practice. We believe that we should not foster a structure that would discourage diversity.

How do we pick players for our house league teams?

Before we start the actual games, we run evaluation sessions to determine the ability of each player. We then create the teams, first placing players (if possible) with their requested car pool players and then we distribute the remainder of players to the teams attempting to match abilities to keep the leagues balanced. After at least two weeks of play we re-evaluate the teams to determine if trades should be made to further balance the leagues. This process may continue for a few more weeks at which time the rosters for each team becomes set for the remainder of the season. In rare occasions we may add a player if there is space or if it would further balance the teams and therefore the leagues. Please remember that this balancing procedure is not perfect, good players on a given team may miss a game and create the appearance of a weak team, when it really is not. This is but one example that makes the balancing of the leagues a goal to aspire to, rather than something that is always attainable.

What am I getting for my fees?

Your hockey fees cover a plethora of things including, but not limited to; instruction, games, league fees, referees, registration, staffing, insurance, etc. The expense varies with the type of league itself, (house/travel), the time of year, amount of ice time, etc.

What will my child gain from this experience?

Few of the children who participate in hockey will become professional hockey players. The long term benefits from participating in our house or travel programs are more likely to be life skills, winning and losing with grace, working with others as a team, meeting new people and developing new friends, spending more time with family and friends in a safe, fun, exciting environment, learning to play a sport that they can play throughout their lives, working towards a mutual goal, keeping fit.